Follow the Signs
Ahhh, summertime. There’s something about taking a road trip in the summer, convertible top down, wind in our hair. It brings out the teenager in all of us. Of course, I don’t have a convertible, but I can dream, can’t I? The drives in my dreams almost always include an open road, maybe a long, […]
Sneak Peek: Daniel Blackaby’s Presentations for W2I 2018
“The Journey Begins: Step-by-Step Preparation for Beginning the Writer’s Journey” People often say, “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish that counts.” The problem is, you can’t finish what you don’t start! So many talented writers never achieved their dream of finishing a book, simply because they never learned how to get started. […]
Teaser Post: Trust and Obey
“Am I rich?” “Am I famous?” “Am I on a bestseller list?” Often, we writers ask questions like these as we try to measure our success. The problem? Most of you, like me, have to say no to these questions. Unless we’ve been fortunate enough to author beloved children’s books or a series of YA […]
Are You Willing to Be Rejected?
Nobody likes to be rejected. And when we’ve poured ourselves into a writing project, only to see it rejected by agents and editors, it’s easy to take that rejection personally. “My manuscript isn’t good enough.” “My writing skills aren’t good enough.” “I’m not good enough.” Is that true? Before you believe the lie that you’re […]
Where to Submit Short Stories
Last week, we suggested three ways to celebrate Short Story Month. Maybe (we hope!) you’ve started writing your own short stories. Great! Now what? This week, we’d like to help you find places to submit short stories. Contests Whether you’re just starting to write short stories or have a cache of completed manuscripts, there’s a […]
One Brave Step Leads to Another: Sally Matheny’s Writing Journey
As promised, here’s the full story of Sally Matheny’s writing progress, featured in our “Success Stories” announcement on April 9. I attended my first Write2Ignite conference in March 2012. I remember that my enthusiasm for the adventure barely overrode my terror. At the time, I didn’t have writer friends who wrote for children. Feeling quite […]
Who Needs a Write2Ignite Critique?
If you’re fairly new to the writing business or trying out a different genre, you may wonder whether you’re doing it right. Or maybe you have a story that you feel is almost—but not quite—working, and you’re not sure why. What’s a writer needing a professional opinion and guidance to do? Get a professional critique, […]
A New Take on Avoiding Writer’s Block
Today’s guest blogger, author Max Elliot Anderson, writes fictional adventure stories for middle-grade readers. When you read his techniques for keeping writer’s block at bay, you’ll get an inkling of the zaniness, action, and humor essential for keeping his young audience, especially boys, engaged! I have to say that writer’s block, or blank-screen-itis, has never […]
“Christian Overtakes Faithful”: The Allure of Vanity Fair in Children’s Writing (in the Era of the Selfie)
Shortly before they enter Vanity Fair, Evangelist meets the pilgrims to give them a prophetic message about the dangers they will face there. Bunyan’s narrator follows this warning with the reminder that Christian and Faithful cannot avoid this test of faith, for “their way to the [Celestial] city lay through this town”; leaving “the […]
Run into Writing
I love it when activities in my life work together for good. That is the way I feel about my running and writing. One seems to feed the other. When I am out running, my mind clears and I relax. It is the time when I am most ready to listen. I’m not sure whether it is the endorphins kicking in, the fresh air, clearing my mind, […]